He said: “Mr Islam said he was confused and asked him what he meant. Benger didn’t reply but punched him twice in the face. He reeled backwards. He could feel blood flowing from an open wound.

“Me Benger said nothing further and just walked away as if nothing had happened,” he said.

“He didn’t appear aggressive and he wasn’t speaking in an aggressive tone.

“A supervisor asked him if Mr Islam was all right and he threw his hard hat to the floor in frustration.” The court heard Mr Islam followed Benger when he left work and considered ‘assaulting him in reprisal but decided to report it to the police.’

Mr Islam sustained a two and a half inch cut under his right eyebrow and a smaller cut under his right eye.

Benger was last before the courts in March 2014 on a drugs matter, and appeared in 2010 for a violent offence.

Magistrates on April 27 rejected his argument that he acted in self-defence.

Benger was sacked from his job as a welder, but was later re-employed through an agency.

Sarah Neale, mitigating, said: “This appears to be an isolated incident. It is Mr Benger reading the situation wrong.”

She said Benger had ‘grown up’ over the last few years and had cut ties with former associates who were involved with drugs.

She said he was concerned about carrying out an unpaid work requirement which might put him in a ‘drug environment.’

Magistrates gave him a three-month community order.

He was ordered to abide by an 8pm to 5am curfew and pay £200 compensation and £625 court costs.